EWS Issues - four years on!

Sun Dec 09, 2012 2:50 pm

Guys,

I have been running my S50 for three to four years now without a single issue.

Wednesday I was returning from a friends house and went to start my car. It fired up first time as per usual then died away almost immediately.

I cant hear a click from the EWS unit which has been working perfectly until now.

Going back to the EWS wiring diagram that Ian332isport sent me I have continuity checked everything and got the correct voltages and grounds where they are needed.

Permanent 12v at the EWS (red and yellow wire)
Switched 12v at the receiver unit (violet and white wire)
All grounds show continuity and low resistance.
Continuity between the EWS green wire and ECU pin 66
The antenna loop shows continuity and about 3 ohms resistance.

It makes no difference if the EWS key is brought into the antenna loop after the ignition is on or if it is left in there permanently (It is usually taped inside the loop under the cowl in case I ever lost it!

I have come to the conclusion that the EWS unit has simply failed. Without another key/chip I cannot check if it is the transponder chip.

Is there anything else that could give me this type of start/then stop failure mode?

Onto possible sollutions:

I really cant afford a theft pack (chip, receiver, EWS and ECU) either second hand or from BMW (who probably wouldn't sell me one anyway - I only have a receipt for the scrapped car I got the engine from).

I have heard that it is possible to have the EWS deleted. I remember Uwe posting that he knows somebody in Germany that can do it. I have recently looked into it and found a guy on eBay that offers S50B32 remaps that can also delete the EWS.

I emailed him and he got back to me: Apparently because the ECU is from a Z-M it has a later revision of the software. He will have to remove the eeprom, solder an E36 one in there and then re-flash with his own map. This will apparently smooth out the engine, re-fuel and reprogram the VANOS map (I have no cats, a high flow exhaust and a cone filter due to installing into my E30), the rev limit will be raised to 8k, the EWS will be deleted and the speed limiter will be removed (I've done 155 once, never again!).

I don't really believe in re-mapping a car anywhere other than the Dyno, but I need the EWS delete and like the idea of an 8k rev limit (I have ARP con rod bolts. The price is also very good.

Can anyone offer any advice? Has anyone used the eBay EWS delete service?

HELP!

Jai

Sun Dec 09, 2012 3:24 pm

Give Wayne Schofield a call... 12.00 or after 5

Phone: +44 (0)1706 651000
Fax: +44 (0)1706 650346
Email: sales@chipwizards.com.uk
Website: www.chipwizards.co.uk (http://www.chipwizards.co.uk)

CHIPWIZARDS
Unit 1, Moorhouse Fold
Rochdale, Lancashire
OL16 4DH

am sure he could point you in the right direction.

Sun Dec 09, 2012 4:17 pm

Sounds like the EWS chip has lost the code, ive had this on friends cars several times and it always seems to happen when the key is taped to the antennae ring.
Can you not get another key from BMW?

Mon Dec 10, 2012 9:54 pm

It was probably the cold..

Eeprom memory is often balnked when you put it in the freezer. I'm not sure how the transponders work, but whats the betting leaving them in the cold car for extended periods of time blanks them? I doubt BMW designed them to seeing as you take your keys indoors every night.

I have sent the ECU to an unknown from eBay that is going to flash the ECU with a custom map that deletes the EWS.

Apparently he's raising the rev limit to 8K, removing the V-Max limit, adjusting the target VANOS, spark and fuel maps and removing the EWS.

I'm a bit dubious about a generic map, but at this point its going to be a lot better than a car that starts and dies immediately..

I'll report back if it's any good, or if a scamster has shagged my engine. Might be time for new lamda sensors, a new knock sensor and a rolling road to make sure the map is safe (AFR and EGT check).. Be a while before that happens, I'll be broke till after christmas..

Jai

Mon Dec 10, 2012 10:30 pm

jaistanley wrote:a car that starts and dies immediately..

Does it actually fire up and then die? I thought the EWS would stop it from firing so it would just turn over (unless you have wired in the starter disable as well).

I had a problem with the antenna on mine and it just turned over without firing.

The only other problem I had with mine was a dud battery - the car would turn over fine, attempt to fire up but never actually catch. I spent a couple days tracing all through the EWS wiring convinced it was the problem, but never actually changed anything. I eventually flattened the battery trying to start it, so swapped the battery from my other car and the S50 fired up straight away.
Charged the battery overnight and it would start my M20, but still wouldn't start the S50.

Ian332isport mentioned to me that if the battery isn't tip top, the coilpacks can struggle to fire...

Maybe the recent cold weather has dragged the battery down to a level where it won't start the S50 as mine did?

Mon Dec 10, 2012 10:38 pm

Very common on S50's that it fires on one or two then dies, with EWS problems

Tue Dec 11, 2012 6:16 am

My first thought was battery as this is exactly what happened last year. I replaced it with a massive Bosch silver top.

Its charged fully and jump starting it made no difference, with either a mates golf or a booster pack...

Jai

Tue Dec 11, 2012 7:00 am

DanThe wrote:Very common on S50's that it fires on one or two then dies, with EWS problems

Learn something new

I always thought if the EWS was doing its thing the engine wouldn't fire at all.

Sat Jan 05, 2013 11:38 am

Quick update:

The eBay guy got the ECU back to me after two working days.. Very fast turn around!

Plugged it in and it fitted first time. It was definitely an EWS failure. The new map that he's put on there is actually really good. I was very sceptical, but after driving it for a while now I can say that it is an improvement in every way. Of course I'm yet to try it on a rolling road to check the AFR etc but it has given me a GOB load more low down torque and smoothed out the response through the whole rev range. I'm very pleased.

I'll dig out his details from his email and post them shortly...

Jai

Fri Jan 11, 2013 7:36 am

The issue you had is the transponder chip.

You are right, it could be a dead chip. But the only way to know is scanning both the DME and the EWS for fault codes.

The EWS will give you a very detailed error while the DME will only pass a basic error from the EWS.

Or just have EWS removed from your DME all together